The present disclosure is related to the field of mechanical ventilation. More specifically, the present disclosure is related to a patient transfer device and ventilation system to facilitate transfer of a patient between respiratory support devices.
In the course of a medical treatment, a patient may require some form of respiratory support, which is provided by a ventilator. Respiratory support may include assisted breathing, wherein the ventilator detects breath attempts and provides supplemental pressure and gas flow for the patient to complete and effective respiratory cycle. More severely conditioned patients may require mechanical ventilation, whereby the ventilator also initiates the respiratory phase of each respiratory cycle. During, the course of treatment, the patient receiving respiratory support may require to be transferred between ventilator systems. One example of this transfer may occur when a patient is switched between receiving respiratory support from an anesthesia ventilator as may be used when surgery is performed on the patient and an intensive care unit (ICU) ventilator to which the patient may be connected before and/or after the surgical procedure. This transfer necessarily requires the disconnection of the patient from one ventilator before connection to another, leaving a time period when the patient is disconnected from receiving respiratory support from either ventilator.
Previous solutions have used a basic ventilator unit which remains connected to the patient and is transferred between respiratory systems. However, this solution requires transport of the ventilator unit itself which is cumbersome and presents an additional challenge for movement of a critical care patient. Furthermore, as such a ventilator unit is intended to be moved with the patient, the ventilator unit is of basic or limited functionality when a critical care patient may require the benefits of more complex systems.